Emilio Federico Schuberth was born in Naples, Italy, in 1904.
He started up his own atelier in Milan in 1932, earning himself a very distinguished clientele, including the Duchess of Windsor.
He was one of the first to present his collections on the Milan catwalk. He became one of the leading designers in the 1940's and 1950's. He dictated fashion to stars of cinema and noble ladies, and everyone famous wore his evening gowns.
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Several young designers worked at his salon, to gain valuable experience, including Roberto Capucci in 1950.
Schuberth added baroque embroidery to serious evening crinolines, and ladies were drawn to his convertible double-sided skirts which became capes strewn with appliqué flora. He is shown below with his models wearing dresses from his collection of 1954.
In 1957 he entered into partnership with Della Biagiotti, the mother of Italian designer Laura Biagiotti, for the export of his clothing.
Emilio Schuberth died in Rome in 1972, at the age of 68. His daughter Gretel donated all his design sketches and archive papers to the University of Parma.
His garments often appear in exhibitions. The Parmeggiani Gallery of Reggio, Italy, held an exhibition "Italian Fashion 1950-1970" showing clothes lent by private collections. Several of Schuberth's dresses were included.
In 1995, his dresses were exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
